It can be hard to restrict calories when all you want is a cup of ice cream or a glass of wine. People may think that restricting calories is the most effective way to lose weight, but successful studies involving intermittent fasting seem promising as well. Intermittent fasting is restricting the time of day you eat instead of what you eat. Fasting can get a bad rep but people should think again before dishing it aside.
To put it in perspective, our ancestors were not able to wake up and eat breakfast right away. They would have to spend time exerting energy to hunt for their food. Fast forward several centuries, fasting is still a part of our daily routine. When obesity was not as prominent as it is today, people would eat 2-3 meals a day from 7am -7pm, then not eat until the next day. This is a 12 hour fasting period. These people are listening to their bodies and not being tempted by all the commercial snacks that have crept into today’s life. The word “breakfast” comes from “breaking fast.” This meal is so important because it is about when you, literally, break your fast which may not always be the second you wake up.
TYPES OF FASTING
There are several different types of intermittent fasting. The most common and practical type of fasting is the 16:8 fasting. You eat for 8 hours of the day and fast for 16. Sticking your sleep period between four hours of fasting in the morning and night can help reach that 16 hour fast. Some people prefer an early dinner or skipping the morning meal and eating around 2. Depending on if you’re a morning or night person, find what is right for you.
The other type is 20:4. Same thing but 20 hours of fasting and eating for 4. This fasting can be done 3-4 times a week.
Lastly, the 24 hour fast. Typically done twice a week. More willpower is required for this as you are up and about during the fasting period without eating for awhile. If it works for you, go for it!
WHY FAST
During fasting, it is time for your body to clean itself when having a break from eating all the time. This process is known as autophagy. This is when the body cleans itself and the cells digest and remove old and dysfunctional proteins that build inside the cells. Other benefits include an increase in the human growth hormone. Insulin levels are low which makes stored body fat more easily accessible and helps people lose more weight in a healthy, natural way. Longevity can increase, and intermittent fasting can protect against disease due to changes in the functions of genes as well.
TIPS TO FAST
Fasting takes some adjustment. You may have to get used to skipping breakfast, realizing you are not hungry or eating an early dinner. Once you adjust you’ll feel better and realize you are not losing energy through fasting. The goal is to keep insulin levels low. While water is fine during fasting periods, drinks with carbs and protein are not. However, healthy fats such as avocado oil and healthy butter will not spike insulin levels and are ok to add to black coffee, for example. Be sure to stay clear of vegetable oil.
The hormone in our body that controls hunger is called ghrelin. When hungry, ghrelin increases. After time without eating, the spike of ghrelin will go back down to balance out and you may not feel that hunger pain anymore even though you have not eaten in awhile. Keep that in mind when fasting. During the spike, have your coffee with healthy butter and know you won’t have this pain because the hormone will subside.
During the fasting period, you want your “breakfast,” whenever it is, to have 50% fat and greens ideally (Check out Collagen blog post for two great smoothies by No Bread linked on the bottom). This will give you a good source of energy. Alcohol is fine during the eating period. Remember to focus on the most important meal “breaking the fast.” Here you want to pack the meal with healthy fats because not all fats are bad.
My experience
I have experimented with intermittent fasting (16 and 8 period) and never felt I was losing energy or muscle because of it. In fact, not eating before bed helped me sleep better. I prefer eating an earlier dinner and carrying around my water bottle, like I normally do, to keep me distracted because I know late at night I am not actually hungry. Lastly, as far as working out goes, you want to work out during the fasting period to optimize the fat loss. I did not fast for fat loss. Instead, I did it for the other incredible health benefits that it offers. I would workout first thing in the morning and have a big breakfast/lunch afterwards. This routine worked for me, and I felt like I had energy during my workouts and especially enough energy for the day.
Resources
The Skinny Confidential Podcast with Jorge Cruise
The Genius Life Podcast by Max Lugaverge: How to Fast for a Faster Metabolism with Dr. Jason Fung